Even Heroes Need Friends To Lean On
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: The aliens prove this to Ben after he gets ridiculed again by the Plumbers. Done as a request for newbienovelistRD. :)


**newbienovelistRD asked for this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy! :) **

**Ben 10 belongs to Cartoon Network and Man Of Action. I only own Rachel.**

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**Even Heroes Need Friends To Lean On**

Rachel jumped when she heard the door of the mansion slam a bit hard and she looked out to see Ben heading up the stairs, but he looked mad. "Ben?" She called out gently.

He stopped and looked at her, the upset look still in place before he looked contrite. "Sorry about slamming the door," he said.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked.

He sighed. "No, I'm not," he admitted.

She had a bad feeling she knew what was wrong. "Those immature Plumbers again?" She asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I got ridiculed again today about how clumsy and danger prone I am." He sighed. "No matter what I do, I can never get any respect."

The blonde-haired woman sighed. "Your grandfather needs to have a serious talk with them," she said firmly.

"Not sure that will do any good," Ben said, his anger returning as he continued going upstairs, leaving a worried Rachel behind, one who decided she was going to give those immature Plumbers a firm talking to.

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Blitzwolfer caught Ben's scent as the boy walked by and noticed the hero looked upset about something. Tetrax noticed it as well, as did Chromastone, Goop, XLR8, and Big Chill. The aliens came out of their rooms, gently surrounding Ben, who looked at them. "Guys, I'm fine," he said.

"Judging by your upset expression, I'd say you're not fine," Tetrax said bluntly.

"Ben, what happened?" Goop asked gently.

"Nothing," the boy responded.

"Come on, champ," Chromastone said, wrapping an arm around the boy in a hug.

Ben flinched at the contact and gently moved away. "Guys, enough," he said. "Just...please back off and don't smother me. It makes me look weak."

That worried the gathered aliens as they now had a feeling someone had said something to Ben to have the young man acting like this. They heard the boy sigh now.

"I really am dumb," Ben admitted. "And I can't do anything right, but I still have my pride and I can stand on my own two feet."

Now they had heard enough and Tetrax looked ready to throw some diamond shards at something or an enemy with how mad he looked. Chromastone felt anger fill him, as did Goop and Big Chill. XLR8 was close to flipping on his mask and speeding off the Plumber HQ while Blitzwolfer's fur bristled in anger. As Ben walked away, the six of them forced themselves to calm down and they looked at each other before nodding.

"Those Plumbers really go too far sometimes," Big Chill said tensely.

"Ben might be young and human, but he uses the Omnitrix well," Tetrax said.

"I think those Plumbers don't realize that Ben trained as he went from the time he was ten-years-old when he first got the Omnitrix," Blitzwolfer said.

"That's not easy for a kid to suddenly become the hero of the world because he had no other choice, though Ben did chose to be a hero as he wanted to help others," Chromastone said.

"No doubt feeling somewhat responsible too, even though it wasn't his fault that the Omnitrix landed on Earth and he found it before our enemies did," XLR8 said.

"And he's given up so much to make sure everyone is safe," Goop said. "It's not fair that those insipid Plumbers make Ben feel like he's not appreciated."

"Well, we appreciate him," Tetrax said firmly before looking toward Ben's room, where the boy was resting now. "And right now, he's hurting inside."

"Then let's help him overcome this dilemma and get our friend back," Chromastone said.

The six headed for Ben's room, seeing the door opened and seeing Ben laying on the bed, looking a bit despondent. "Sometimes I wonder why I even try," he said to no one in particular.

"Because you're unselfish and willing to help others, Ben," said Goop as he came closer to the boy.

"But why do I bother when they don't appreciate it?" He said before looking up at them. "I told you all I'm fine."

"Ben," Big Chill said, gently shaking his head. "We don't need to be mindreaders to know that you're hurting inside."

"Maybe we do smother you a little, but that's because we care," Chromastone said. "You carry a lot on your shoulders, Ben. You have ever since you were ten-years-old."

"A kid who was forced to learn as you went with the Omnitrix," Tetrax said. "You had no training, yet you did your best all the same to help others."

"You may not have had all the training that the Plumbers now get, but that's allowed you to think outside the box for solutions," Blitzwolfer said. "Solutions that have allowed you to think at a moment's notice or alter part of quickly to either stop a threat or save people."

"So don't listen to those that ridicule you and don't give you any respect," XLR8 said. "They don't know you like we do or see the Ben we see when you fight criminals or are just being you."

Ben looked at him and the speedy alien smiled. "You're young, but brave," he said.

"Perhaps a bit rash at times, but you have good intentions," Tetrax said.

"Sometimes doesn't have a plan, but improvises as the situation calls for it," Big Chill said.

"Stubborn, but unwilling to give up," Chromastone said.

"A little headstrong, but you never let your friends and family down," Blitzwolfer said.

"And best of all, you're our friend who has taken time to learn about us and see that most aliens really aren't that bad, despite having bad experiences with some at first," Goop said.

Ben couldn't think of a rebuttal to their statements and he noticed that while they gently pointed out some minor faults, they also pointed out the good things about him that made up for those faults. The Plumbers just pointed out his faults, but his friends pointed out the good in him and he noticed that no matter what, they were always right there for him and stuck by him. He now sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if I really deserve you guys as my friends," he admitted.

"Of course you do, Ben," Tetrax said with a smile before smirking. "And you know, tickles and fluff are nothing to be ashamed of when you really need them."

The other aliens caught on and before Ben could even think about trying to escape, the six pounced on him with Tetrax gently grabbing him and holding him with one arm wrapped snugly around his waist and his free hand grabbed his wrists and gently pulled his arms up to expose the boy's ultimate weak spot. "Let's get him, guys," he said.

Laughing in amusement, the aliens all attacked. Blitzwolfer and Chromastone tickled the boy's feet while Goop tickled his stomach, Big Chill tickled his neck, and XLR8 tickled his underarms.

"AAAAAHHH! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! GUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUYS! STOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOP!" Ben laughed out.

"Nope! You need a bunch of tickles, champ," Chromastone said with a smirk.

Ben tried to pull his arms down and get free of Tetrax, but the Petrosapien had him in a firm hold, smirking at the boy's attempts. "You can't escape, boy," he said teasingly.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! TETRAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAX! LEHEHEHEHEHEHET GOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" Ben pleaded.

The former bounty hunter chuckled. "You forget, Ben, I'm a father too," he said, playfully and gently poking the boy's left side where his hand rested, making the hero squeak and giggle while the others continued making him laugh. "So myself and the others know all about cheering up our family members and friends, especially an over-worked hero who needs a reminder now and again that his friends won't let him feel down for long."

After a bit, the six aliens stopped the tickle torture, to which Ben was grateful and all but collapsed against Tetrax, who gently caught him and held him in a hug. "We've got you, Ben," he said gently.

"Even heroes need friends to lean on," Chromastone said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "And you can always lean on us."

"Especially when those ungrateful rookies get you down," Blitzwolfer said.

"I've got half a mind to freeze them all," Big Chill said firmly.

"Perhaps we should go have a talk with them," XLR8 said.

"Because our Ben deserves more respect than what they gave him," Goop said.

"Yes, he does," Rachel said, coming into the room. "And I gave them a piece of my mind for treating my brother so poorly."

Ben smiled at that, knowing that Rachel was a force to be reckoned with when she was upset or angry at someone for hurting her family. "What did I do to deserve such great friends and family?" He asked.

"You did what you do best," Tetrax said with a smile. "Being yourself."

Giving them all a grateful look, Ben felt sleepy right then. "Looks like the champ is ready for a nap," Blitzwolfer said with a chuckle.

"Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea," XLR8 said.

Rachel smiled as Tetrax picked up Ben and carried him to the rec room with the others following and they were quick to form a nest of pillows on the floor for a soft spot to nap. Ben had fallen asleep by this time, so the Petrosapien gently set him down on the pillows before the six gathered around him, forming a protective circle around the young man.

The owner of the Grant Mansion smiled before heading back to the kitchen where she was baking cookies, glad that Ben was feeling better, thanks to the aliens who had proven that they'd always be there for the young man who had always been there for them.

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**GoldGuardian2418 **


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